Exclusive Articles
Bright prospects for thin film solar
The solar industry is going through troubled times: over-capacity of panels on the world market, governments withdrawing subsidies, and a lot of corporate consolidation. We talked to Wiro Zijlmans CEO of Smit Ovens, about why thin film solar technologies have a bright future and the role of thermal processes in high-volume manufacturing. Wiro Zijlmans: Smit… Read more »
On the trail of solar cost leadership
Darren Brown, Alternative Energy Business Manager at DEK, discusses the drive towards greater efficiency in solar cell manufacturing, and asks how best to achieve cost leadership – and ultimately, competitive advantage. Achieving the optimum level of production of anything requires any number of stars to be aligned. These range from the cost of the raw… Read more »
The power of anticipation
Founded in 1946, SICK currently employs more than 5,800 employees worldwide, and achieved sales of EUR 902.7 m in 2011. Naturally, those impressive figures aren’t generated through luck – they’re down to hard work, innovation, and by keeping a close eye on the market (especially in challenging times). We spoke to Stéphane Renaud-Betz, Strategic Industry… Read more »
Political shifts and technical advances are redefining the solar energy market
Steve Helliwell, a leading ground-mounted solar PV construction expert, discusses the physical, technical and political challenges facing this particular corner of the market… Contrary to widely-held misconceptions, opportunities in solar energy are increasing. According to finance experts, there are more investors interested in funding large-scale solar PV projects than ever before. In the industry’s early… Read more »
Cut costs and boost efficiency: rising star does both simultaneously
How do you make the world’s best coating for your PV panels? How do you make solar cells more commercially competitive? How can you know you have great solutions for your end products from the start? Beneq, a company just starting to draw attention with its results, is focused specifically on being the best in… Read more »
Innovative engineering
Dr. Omid Shojaei, CEO of INDEOtec, joins PES to talk about the highlights and achievements that this young company has been able deliver to the thin film deposition industry in its short three-and-a-half year history. PES: Welcome to PES. Can you tell us a little about your company, and explain how you serve the solar/PV… Read more »
Solars Social Network
PES is very pleased to welcome Noemie Bourdin of Upsolar to its pages. The Marketing and Branding Director talks to us about the company’s innovative approach to engaging with the market, and their plans to further embrace social media as a means of spreading the word on renewables. PES: Upsolar has always had a distinguished… Read more »
Working with sunshine
Everything starts with the sun. From life on earth, to efficient, unlimited and environmentally friendly power. Access to energy is the foundation for progress and the creation of wealth, and it is generally accepted that solar cells will become a dominant energy source in the future. Merck, a leader in chemical and materials sciences, shares… Read more »
How tools used in other industries can help to stabilise web coating processes in the solar sector
A longstanding contributor to PES, Carl Zeiss is known worldwide for its dedication to quality. In this, the company’s latest submission, it looks at a cross-pollination of technology to bring down costs and maintain performance… With a longstanding history in the field of large area coating, Carl Zeiss has constantly supported manufactures of web coating… Read more »
Towards a safer smart grid framework
The European solar/PV industry of the near future will live and die by the strength and effectiveness of smart grids, and the organisation charged with ensuring its longevity is the European Network and Information Security Agency. The organisation’s Ulf Bergstrom talks us through some security recommendations for the public and private sector involved in the… Read more »
